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Infection and Immunity, January 1999, p. 439-442, Vol. 67, No. 1
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Cathelicidin Gene Expression in Porcine Tissues: Roles in Ontogeny and Tissue Specificitydagger

Hua Wu, Guolong Zhang, Christopher R. Ross, and Frank Blecha*

Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-5602

Received 21 July 1998/Returned for modification 9 September 1998/Accepted 9 October 1998

Cathelicidins constitute a family of mammalian antimicrobial peptides that are synthesized in the bone marrow as prepropeptides, stored in neutrophil granules as propeptides, and released as active, mature peptides upon neutrophil degranulation. We investigated the developmental expression of two porcine cathelicidins, PR-39 and protegrin. Both cathelicidins were expressed constitutively in the bone marrow of all pigs at all of the ages tested. Peripheral blood neutrophils from young pigs expressed PR-39 and protegrin mRNA, which were not detectable at 42 days of age. At earlier ages, expression of PR-39 mRNA was detected in the kidney and liver and several lymphoid organs, including the thymus, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes, but disappeared at 4 weeks of age. These data provide the first evidence of cathelicidin gene expression in peripheral leukocytes and may indicate a role for these antimicrobial peptides in the development of host defense mechanisms.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Anatomy and Physiology, VMS 228, 1600 Denison Ave., Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-5602. Phone: (785) 532-4537. Fax: (785) 532-4557. E-mail: blecha{at}vet.ksu.edu.

dagger Contribution no. 98-524-J of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

Infection and Immunity, January 1999, p. 439-442, Vol. 67, No. 1
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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